Comments about ‘BYU students decry demise of Women's Research Institute’

Because money is tight and since there isn't money enough to fund everything, some things have to be dropped. You can argue all day about what is more important and what should or should not be cut, but cuts are needed.

for BYU and the Church. So hundreds of millions of dollars can go to football, but the Women's Research Institute is just too much...I guess the Lord has spoken...Who knew he had such mixed priorities.

is short on money?

hhaha hahah ahahahahha

girls, yah got cut by the boys. That's the story. Get back in line and mind your p's and q's.

and yes, please walk behind us 3 steps

The LDS church does not funnel money to the football program. Rather, the athletic programs at BYU are self sustaining.

But I know where you are coming from. Any way at all to bash BYU and the LDS church, regardless of what the facts are, is a good thing, right?

Is BYU short of money? Probably - I know the church has less - people have less to give. I service pianos for them in Ontario, Canada and in the fall we usually tune 23 pianos. This year we tuned only 4 and the reason was the money available.

Is football more important than women's issues? Absolutely - and that's true at UCLA, and Notre Dame, and every other community in the country. It has nothing to do with the LDS church. My wife certainly doesn't walk 3 steps behind me.

BYU is NOT short on money. This is not the issue. They didn't even consult the students in any way for this decision. The students are NOT happy. Save BYU's Women's Research Institute! Facebook group has jumped from 1 person to over 600 in just a few days. There is a bigger problem going on here.

How close minded people have become... Why are people so threatened by the education of woman? Did these people not go to the Greg Mortenson forum. Women MUST be educated and unless we all realize that our society will continue to crumble.

Why was this so hush hush? Because they knew what would happen if they opened it up for public discussion.

I am very disappointed, and will add my voice to those who stand in apposition to this decision!

PS: The Facebook group is now over 600 and growing!~

I did not know the football program was self sustaining. When I read the article my thoughts were like others--quit putting $$ into football and spread it around. But thank you for the comment above that provides that insight.

University departments are communities of scholars in specific disciplines. These departments facilitate faculty collaboration, which increases the quality of research and courses of study for students. The Women’s Research Institute provided such a community for over 80 affiliates studying women and gender from across the university. Collaborations also were established with scholars at other institutions, increasing WRI credibility at a national level in the face of notions of many in the academy about the attitude toward women at BYU.

Dissolving the Institute will destroy its community of interdisciplinary colleagues. Researchers will be isolated from each other, eliminating the programmatic research of the Institute involving multiple studies that build upon each other to produce findings on complex problems. Also, separating faculty engaged in research from those engaged in teaching will decrease the quality of both. Just as importantly, students will be deprived of interacting with teams of researchers, teachers, and other students addressing one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century: the need to improve women’s lives and increase their opportunities, which are now understood to be linked not only to peaceful relationships within families and societies, but even to peace between nations.

Way to go, put those women in their place.

Do the church leader’s golf? Because they sure set this pr debacle up on a tee.

The church has an image they have to keep up.

All you feminist out there, please read me.

I have a daughter in the U of U Gender Studies program. If the BYU Womens program was even 10% as filled with hatred of the white American male as the U's program, the cut was way past due. I'll never understand exactly how, but according to the U, I am responsible for Chinese girls being drowned, Indian girls being aborted, African girls being sold into slavery, and Muslim girls being forced into female circumcision. The very fact that I ask for proof of how I did all of these things is proof enough for the man-haters.
What would you say if someone proposed a Mens Studies program at a major university? One that directed its curriculum exclusively at anti-female propaganda, and blamed the world's ills on women? The outcry would be nationwide, and I would gladly join the picket line.
As long as the term Womens Studies remains a code phrase for Man Haters, don't ask for my taxes or my tithing to support the program.

I have two young daughters.

"The streamlining, which was not done to save the university money, Jenkins said, will split the workload between colleges, making the study of women's issues more of a global campus initiative, rather than the focus of a specific institute."

So it's about making the whole issue of women's studies fall under a bigger umbrella, getting more people involved, and going cross curricular, therefore creating a better program.

No wonder the small handfull of women running this program are complaining.

They will no longer be able to sit in classrooms and teach to the choir. They will actually need to begin to have a real discussion on the real issues that really do affect women. Wow, out of the hands of the feminists and into the hands of educators and researchers.

This will very much help women in the real world. I wish more Universities took this aproach, rather than placate special interest groups.

(I will give props to the BYU haters that have never been in a women's studies class, and attack to hate. Good to see people out there that have never been on a college campus share their views).

re: Paul Plumb

What does tuning pianos have to do with this story?

re:byu | 5:21 a.m.

Walking 3 feet behind. Cute, but not an intelligent comment on an educational article.

re:The good ol boys club

Once again, what does this have to do with the article? Don't women golf also. Sexist comment.

re:the truth

???

This issue is not about money.
In fact, those who actual read the article will see that more actual funding will go to actual research under the new system.
The other issue is, as long as we treat women's studies as something that needs to be considered seperately we ghetoize it. If we want to recognize women as full members of the human race than we need to allow for restucturing.
I would have to say the facebook group is very unwise, and provides fodder for anti-Mormon rabble whatever its actual intent is.
University administrative decisions should be dealt with internally and not be creating pressure groups. This is especially true when a program will remain, when the Women's studies minor will still be around, and when it is just a change of system.

20/20 Vision I think you hit the nail on the head! I want equal, not special treatment. I never felt like I was discriminated against in any way by my professors at BYU. It's not like the minor is being done away with either (like the Bachelor of Social Work program).Women in college now outnumber men so it's not like we're that disadvantaged.

Am I the only one that thinks that "we're strengthening it by streamlining it" sounds too Orwellian? And while those of you who commented that spreading it out will lead to more honest dialogue (John Pack Lambert, Great Move BYU) I can't help but think what this will actually do is kill such dialogue.

I'm a graduate of BYU and went to a few of the events put on by the institute at the behest of my girlfriend. I enjoyed them and was more well-informed by every one. It's a shame BYU is cutting this program. Yet another way outsiders will think Mormon women are supposed to be barefoot in the kitchen. *sigh*

I'm saddened that BYU doesn't feel that women's research is important enough to keep as its own organization. I can't understand how "dispersing" it will strengthen and increase the quality of women's research at BYU. As I'm an alumnus, BYU has lost my future donations.

I am an active member of the Church and I am deeply disappointed that BYU plans to close the WRI. I often refer to the WRI to counter arguments that the Church is sexist and misogynist. I also want my sacred tithing funds to support education and research that strengthens families and shows the equal standing of women in the Church. WRI was a great example of this work.